Former Australian opener, Matthew Hayden has come in support of Rahul Tripathi for finding a place in the Indian squad for the next T20 World Cup, taking place in Australia later this year. Hayden has opined Tripathi is a dangerous striker and can be a brilliant addition if he gets the chance to play on Australia’s bouncy pitches. Rahul Tripathi was seen in sublime touch in the IPL 2022 for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) as he amassed 413 runs in 14 outings with a strike rate of 158.24. 

Matthew Hayden was impressed with Tripathi’s ruthless ball-hitting ability. The former left-handed opener put his weight behind Tripathi by saying he should travel with the Team India squad for the next T20 World Cup in Australia, set to take place later this year. Hayden also explained why would he want him there.

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During a chat in a show on Star Sports, Matthew Hayden said, “I just love his (Tripathi) ability to go hard up front. The way Tripathi is taking the responsibility to strike the ball hard is brilliant. I think he has the real potential in the future to go all the way to the international level.”

Explaining the same, Matthew Hayden said, “He’s a dangerous striker of the ball, someone who plays on both sides of the wicket. His ability to play short-pitched balls at ease impresses me in particular. You get him to Australia (for the T20 WC) because he can play those brilliant shots on the bouncy pitches there.”

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However, despite having a memorable IPL 2022 campaign, Rahul Tripathi was ignored by the BCCI for the upcoming five-match T20I series against South Africa at home scheduled to be played between June 9 to June 19.